90 NEBRASKA .STATE HOUTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



alti'iiiate with a live shovel. 1 iind if the ground is clean 

 from trash, bj cultivatiug both ways 1 can save myself much 

 hand \\ork and keep my lield free from weeds. 1 do noi try 

 to save the first runners, cultivating both ways until 1 want 

 to begin to layer the runners Avhich i do mostly with my 

 cultivator by narrowing it up a little every time. When 1 

 have my rows wide enough 1 begin to put on runner cutter. 

 I had one made from two rolling cutters to tit on the front of 

 the five-shovel cultivator, leaving only three shovels to dig 

 the plants loose I have cut off. I keep the cultivator going 

 nearly as long as the groAving season. 



The varieties to plant depend on the markets to a great 

 extent. You must have good solid berries if you ship to dis- 

 tant markets. For the home market you can use the larger 

 and softer kinds, I have tried many varieties and have dis- 

 carded most of them. Warfield is still very good if well 

 fertilized. Bissell on the right kind of soil is all right. I 

 use the Senator Dunlap for fertilizer as it blossoms early and 

 late. Nearly my whole plantation of six acres is Senator 

 Dunlap. I am looking for a better one but have never foun<l 

 it, so if any of you have a better one you will confer a favor 

 by making it known to the writer. I here attach a card show- 

 ing my type of the Dunlap, and showing size of two and one- 

 half inches across and six and one-half inches around, six- 

 teen filling this box on postal ; twenty to fill these cans. Four 

 acres in one picking gave 204, 24-box crates selling for |2.75 

 per crate F. O. B. Blair, Neb., a net of |110 per acre. We 

 never try to grow strawberries without mulching. I mulch 

 with clean wheat straw if I can get it as soon as the ground 

 freezes, just enough to hide plants. I do not remove much 

 of this mulch, only enough in the thick places to let plants 

 come through freely. In this way I always have bright clean 

 berries. 



As soon as possible after the berries are picked they should 

 be in a cool place. I believe a regular cooler should be pro- 

 vided by the growers or shippers. One should never pack 



